Ecuador national football team

The Ecuador national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Ecuador), nicknamed La Tricolor, represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (English: Ecuadorian Football Federation). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.

Ecuador
Nickname(s)La Tri (The Tri)
La Tricolor (The Tricolors)
La Seleccion(The Selection)
AssociationFederación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (FEF)
ConfederationCONMEBOL (South America)
Head coachSebastián Beccacece
CaptainEnner Valencia
Most capsIván Hurtado (168)
Top scorerEnner Valencia (48)
Home stadiumEstadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
FIFA codeECU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 23 (19 November 2025)
Highest10 (June 2013)
Lowest71 (November 2017)
First international
 Bolivia 1–1 Ecuador 
(Bogotá, Colombia; 8 August 1938)
Biggest win
 Ecuador 6–0 Peru 
(Quito, Ecuador; 22 June 1975)
Biggest defeat
 Argentina 12–0 Ecuador 
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942)
World Cup
Appearances4 (first in 2002)
Best resultRound of 16 (2006)
Copa América
Appearances30 (first in 1939)
Best resultFourth place (1959, 1993)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2002)
Best resultGroup stage (2002)

Discarding an invitation to participate in the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay, Ecuador did not make their tournament debut until 2002. After finishing above Brazil and Uruguay in the standings, the qualifying campaign marked the emergence of several players, such as Agustín Delgado, Álex Aguinaga, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Kaviedes, who would set the stage for Ecuador's achievements in the next decade. Having reached the Round of 16 in a memorable 2006 World Cup campaign, they were expected to deliver at the 2007 Copa América but were eliminated in the group stage. Along with Venezuela, they have not won the continental tournament. La Tri's best performance was fourth in 1959 and 1993, both times on home soil.

Ecuador plays the majority of their home matches at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.

History

Historically, Ecuador has been seen as a struggling footballing nation in South America. Despite their past failures, however, Ecuador has risen to be a serious South American competitor in recent years.

Football was introduced to Ecuador by Juan Alfredo Wright, who had recently returned from university in England. On 23 April 1899, he and his brother Roberto founded the first Ecuadorian football team, Guayaquil Sport Club. As the popularity of the sport grew in the country, more teams were established. On 30 May 1925, the Federación Deportiva Nacional del Ecuador was founded. In 1930, FIFA sent an invitation encouraging for a men's national team to participate at the maiden World Cup. However, the then-Minister of Social Security and Sports declined the offer as they did not approve of the financial allocation.

In 1938, the I Bolivarian Games were organized, with Ecuador set to take part in the football tournament. On 8 August 1938, they played their first-ever match; a 1–1 draw with Bolivia. Their following game saw the national team earn a 2–1 win against Colombia. Following a 9–1 crushing by Peru and a 5–2 victory over Venezuela, Ecuador was tied for the silver medal with Bolivia. A playoff saw the Bolivians emerge triumphantly and the Ecuadorians finished the competition with the bronze medal.

After finishing fourth at the 1959 South American Championship, the team entered the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. They failed to qualify for 1962 after inflicted defeats by Argentina.

The 1998 World Cup qualifiers saw the format for qualifying in CONMEBOL changed to a league home-and-away system. This difference made a huge impact on Ecuador's performance as they clinched several important home wins during the campaign. In the end, they achieved a 6th-place finish, just under Peru and Chile.

Following the appointment of Hernán Darío Gómez for their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, Ecuador recorded a historic 1–0 win against Brazil. A 5–1 win over Bolivia saw la Tricolor only needing a point to qualify for the World Cup. They faced Uruguay, and, after managing to cling onto a 1–1 draw, obtained their spot in the World Cup in East Asia.

Ecuador started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–0 loss to Italy. Agustín Delgado scored his country's first World Cup goal; he opened the scoring in a 2–1 loss to Mexico. Despite defeating Croatia, who had achieved third place in the previous tournament, and eliminating the Croats in process, Ecuador placed fourth in Group G and 24th overall.

A disappointing showing at the 2004 Copa América led to the resignation of Gómez, who was replaced by Luis Fernando Suárez. He led them successfully through the latter stages of the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third to make the finals. In Germany, they were drawn into Group A with the hosts, Poland, and Costa Rica. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica earned Ecuador qualification to the knockout stages for the first time.

After a dull 2014 FIFA World Cup, and an unpleasant streak of failing to advance past the group stages of the Copa América, Gustavo Quinteros was hired to help rebuild the national team. Quinteros helped Ecuador reach the quarter-finals of the Copa América Centenario and started the 2018 World Cup qualifiers strong. They were setback after a loss to Uruguay and finished eighth in the standings.

Gómez was reinstalled to lead Ecuador at the 2019 Copa América. His second stint was short, as he was soon fired after a disastrous tournament, having only earned a point.

For the qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as punishment for fielding the player Byron Castillo who had a passport with falsified information in the previous World Cup qualification cycle, Ecuador was deducted three points and fined CHF 100,000.

Home stadium

The Ecuador national team plays their home games at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. Having opened in 1951, it initially had a capacity of 45,000, but was later reduced to 35,724.

The stadium has a running track, which has gone to be one of the most important in South America for events organized by the former International Association of Athletics Federations.

15 gates surround the stadium, allowing for an evacuation to be completed in about 10 minutes. The venue also features an electronic scoreboard located in the northern sector. The screen, manufactured by Hungarian-based company Elektroimpex in 1985, measures 10 meters tall and 30 meters wide.

In this stadium, Ecuador defeated Uruguay at the 1993 Copa América and Brazil at the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. After tying with the former on 7 November 2001, Ecuador qualified for their first World Cup. Since then, Ecuador has qualified three times.

The stadium is set to be demolished in late-2020 for a newer stadium, which in first instance was for preparation for the 2024 Copa América. However, Ecuador declined to host Copa America in 2022.

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador played at the Casa Blanca.[citation needed]

Team image

The standard Ecuador uniform maintains the colours of the national flag, typically a yellow top, blue shorts, and red socks. The alternate colours of the uniform are white and blue, this being based on the flag of the Guayas Province. From 1965 to 2020, the crest featured the Andean condor, Ecuador's national bird, above a shield with the country's colors. In January 2020, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced a rebrand of the logo; a navy blue shield with an "FEF" monogram attempting to "abstractly build a condor".

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
Adidas 1985
Credeport 1986–1990
Puma 1991–1992
Reebok 1993–1994
Marathon 1994–present

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

Colombia  v  Ecuador
19 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Colombia  0–1  Ecuador Barranquilla, Colombia
18:00 UTC−5 Report
  • Valencia 7'
Stadium: Estadio Metropolitano
Attendance: 37,316
Referee: Esteban Ostojich (Uruguay)

2025

Ecuador  v  Venezuela
21 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Ecuador  2–1  Venezuela Quito, Ecuador
16:00 UTC−5
  • Valencia 39', 46'
Report
  • Cádiz 90+1'
Stadium: Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
Attendance: 41,575
Referee: Ramon Abatti (Brazil)
Chile  v  Ecuador
25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Chile  0–0  Ecuador Santiago, Chile
21:00 UTC−3 Report Stadium: Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
Attendance: 38,996
Referee: Gustavo Tejera (Uruguay)
Ecuador  v  Brazil
5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Ecuador  0–0  Brazil Guayaquil, Ecuador
18:00 UTC−5 Report Stadium: Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo
Attendance: 59,283
Referee: Piero Maza (Chile)
Peru  v  Ecuador
10 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Peru  0–0  Ecuador Lima, Peru
20:30 UTC−5 Report Stadium: Estadio Nacional
Attendance: 33,749
Referee: Andrés Rojas (Colombia)
Paraguay  v  Ecuador
4 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Paraguay  0–0  Ecuador Asunción, Paraguay
20:30 UTC−3 Report Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Ecuador  v  Argentina
9 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Ecuador  1–0  Argentina Guayaquil, Ecuador
18:00 UTC−5
  • Valencia 45+13' (pen.)
Report Stadium: Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo
Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)
United States  v  Ecuador
10 October Friendly United States  1–1  Ecuador Austin, United States
19:30 UTC−5
  • Balogun 71'
Report
  • Valencia 24'
Stadium: Q2 Stadium
Attendance: 20,738
Referee: Filip Dujic (Canada)
Mexico  v  Ecuador
14 October Friendly Mexico  1–1  Ecuador Zapopan, Mexico
20:30 UTC−6
  • Berterame 3'
Report
  • Alcívar 20' (pen.)
Stadium: Estadio Akron
Attendance: 49,850
Referee: Victor Rivas (United States)
Canada  v  Ecuador
13 November Friendly Canada  0–0  Ecuador Toronto, Canada
19:30 UTC−5 Report Stadium: BMO Field
Attendance: 28,740
Referee: Fernando Hernández (Mexico)
Ecuador  v  New Zealand
18 November Friendly Ecuador  2–0  New Zealand Harrison, United States
20:30 UTC−5
  • Angulo 50'
  • Campana 83'
Report Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium

2026

Netherlands  v  Ecuador
31 March Friendly Netherlands  v  Ecuador Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 UTC+2 Stadium: Philips Stadion
Ivory Coast  v  Ecuador
14 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Ivory Coast  v  Ecuador Philadelphia, United States
19:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
Ecuador  v  Curaçao
20 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Ecuador  v  Curaçao Kansas City, United States
19:00 UTC−5 Report Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium
Ecuador  v  Germany
25 June 2026 FIFA World Cup Ecuador  v  Germany East Rutherford, United States
16:00 UTC−4 Report Stadium: MetLife Stadium

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Sebastián Beccacece
Assistant coach Nicolás Chiesa
Guillermo Marino
Goalkeeper coach Gustavo Campagnuolo
Fitness coach Martín Bressan

Coaching history

  • Enrique Lamas (1938)
  • Ramón Unamuno (1939)
  • Juan Parodi (1941–1942)
  • Rodolfo Orlandini (1945)
  • Ramón Unamuno (1947)
  • José Planas (1949)
  • Iván Esperón (1953)
  • José María Díaz (1955)
  • Eduardo Spandre (1957)
  • Juan López (1959–1960)
  • Fausto Montalván (1963, 1966)
  • José María Rodríguez (1965)
  • José Gomes Nogueira (1969)
  • Ernesto Guerra (1970, 1977–1979, 1983)
  • Jorge Lazo (1972)
  • Roberto Resquín (1973)
  • Roque Máspoli (1975–1977)
  • Héctor Morales (1979–1980)
  • Otto Vieira (1981)
  • Juan Hohberg (1981–1982)
  • Antoninho Ferreira (1984–1985)
  • Luis Grimaldi (1986–1987)
  • Dušan Drašković (1988–1993)
  • Carlos Torres Garcés (1994)
  • Carlos Ron (1994)
  • Francisco Maturana (1995–1997, 1997)
  • Luis Fernando Suárez (1997, 2004–2007)
  • Polo Carrera (1998)
  • Carlos Sevilla (1999)
  • Hernán Darío Gómez (1999–2004, 2018–2019)
  • Sixto Vizuete (2007–2010, 2014–2015)
  • Reinaldo Rueda (2010–2014)
  • Gustavo Quinteros (2015–2017)
  • Jorge Célico (2017–2018, 2019–2020)
  • Jordi Cruyff (2020)
  • Gustavo Alfaro (2020–2023)
  • Félix Sánchez (2023–2024)
  • Sebastián Beccacece (2024–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the friendly matches against Canada and New Zealand on 13 and 18 November 2025, respectively.
Caps and goals current as of 18 November 2025, after the match against New Zealand.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Hernán Galíndez (1987-03-30) 30 March 1987 (age 38) 33 0 Huracán
1GK Moisés Ramírez (2000-09-09) 9 September 2000 (age 25) 6 0 Kifisia
1GK Cristhian Loor (2006-03-09) 9 March 2006 (age 19) 0 0 Botafogo

2DF Ángelo Preciado (1998-02-18) 18 February 1998 (age 27) 52 0 Sparta Prague
2DF Piero Hincapié (2002-01-09) 9 January 2002 (age 23) 50 3 Arsenal
2DF Félix Torres (1997-01-11) 11 January 1997 (age 28) 46 5 Corinthians
2DF Willian Pacho (2001-10-16) 16 October 2001 (age 24) 32 2 Paris Saint-Germain
2DF Cristian Ramírez (1994-08-12) 12 August 1994 (age 31) 22 1 Lokomotiv Moscow
2DF Joel Ordóñez (2004-04-21) 21 April 2004 (age 21) 14 0 Club Brugge
2DF Jhoanner Chávez (2002-04-25) 25 April 2002 (age 23) 7 0 Lens
2DF Leonardo Realpe (2001-02-26) 26 February 2001 (age 24) 3 0 Famalicão

3MF Moisés Caicedo (2001-11-02) 2 November 2001 (age 24) 58 3 Chelsea
3MF Alan Franco (1998-08-21) 21 August 1998 (age 27) 55 1 Atlético Mineiro
3MF Gonzalo Plata (2000-11-01) 1 November 2000 (age 25) 47 8 Flamengo
3MF Kendry Páez (2007-05-04) 4 May 2007 (age 18) 23 2 Strasbourg
3MF John Yeboah (2000-06-23) 23 June 2000 (age 25) 19 2 Venezia
3MF Alan Minda (2003-05-14) 14 May 2003 (age 22) 18 2 Cercle Brugge
3MF Pedro Vite (2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 (age 23) 14 1 UNAM
3MF Jordy Alcívar (1999-08-05) 5 August 1999 (age 26) 7 1 Independiente del Valle
3MF Denil Castillo (2004-03-24) 24 March 2004 (age 21) 4 0 Midtjylland
3MF Yaimar Medina (2004-11-05) 5 November 2004 (age 21) 4 0 Genk
3MF Patrik Mercado (2003-07-31) 31 July 2003 (age 22) 3 0 Independiente del Valle

4FW Kevin Rodríguez (2000-03-04) 4 March 2000 (age 25) 29 2 Union Saint-Gilloise
4FW Leonardo Campana (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 25) 20 1 New England Revolution
4FW Nilson Angulo (2003-06-19) 19 June 2003 (age 22) 12 1 Anderlecht
4FW John Mercado (2002-06-03) 3 June 2002 (age 23) 6 0 Sparta Prague
4FW Jeremy Arévalo (2005-03-19) 19 March 2005 (age 20) 1 0 Racing de Santander

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up during the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Gonzalo Valle (1996-02-28) 28 February 1996 (age 29) 2 0 LDU Quito v.  Mexico, 14 October 2025
GK David Cabezas (1995-06-12) 12 June 1995 (age 30) 0 0 El Nacional v.  Argentina, 9 September 2025

DF Pervis Estupiñán (1998-01-21) 21 January 1998 (age 27) 50 4 Milan v.  Mexico, 14 October 2025
DF Xavier Arreaga (1994-09-28) 28 September 1994 (age 31) 20 1 Barcelona v.  Mexico, 14 October 2025

MF Darwin Guagua (2007-11-06) 6 November 2007 (age 18) 1 0 Independiente del Valle v.  Mexico, 14 October 2025
MF Bryan Ramírez (2000-08-11) 11 August 2000 (age 25) 0 0 LDU Quito v.  Mexico, 14 October 2025
MF Jhegson Méndez (1997-04-26) 26 April 1997 (age 28) 38 0 Independiente del Valle v.  Peru, 10 June 2025
MF Keny Arroyo (2006-02-14) 14 February 2006 (age 19) 2 0 Cruzeiro v.  Chile, 25 March 2025

FW Enner Valencia (captain) (1989-11-04) 4 November 1989 (age 36) 103 48 Pachuca v.  New Zealand, 18 November 2025 WD
FW Janner Corozo (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 30) 7 1 Barcelona v.  Chile, 25 March 2025

INJ Withdrew from the squad due to injury.
PRE Preliminary squad / standby.
RET Retired from the national team.
SUS Withdrew from the squad due to suspension.
WD Withdrew from the squad for non-injury related reasons.

Retired numbers

Following the death of Christian Benítez, the Ecuadorian Football Federation retired his jersey number 11 from the national team. According to the Federation's then-president, Luis Chiriboga, to honor Benítez the number would no longer be used by any other team player. However, due to FIFA regulations, the number had to be reinstated for the 2014 World Cup squad, taken by Felipe Caicedo.

Player records

As of 13 November 2025.
Players in bold are still active with Ecuador.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Ecuador career
1 Iván Hurtado 168 4 1992–2014
2 Walter Ayoví 122 8 2001–2017
3 Édison Méndez 112 18 2000–2014
4 Álex Aguinaga 109 23 1987–2004
5 Enner Valencia 103 48 2012–present
6 Ulises de la Cruz 101 6 1995–2010
7 Luis Capurro 100 1 1985–2003
8 Antonio Valencia 99 11 2004–2019
9 Giovanny Espinoza 90 3 2000–2009
10 Segundo Castillo 88 9 2003–2016
José Francisco Cevallos 88 0 1994–2010

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Ecuador career
1 Enner Valencia 48 103 0.47 2012–present
2 Agustín Delgado 31 71 0.44 1994–2006
3 Eduardo Hurtado 26 74 0.35 1992–2002
4 Christian Benítez 25 61 0.41 2005–2013
5 Álex Aguinaga 23 109 0.21 1987–2004
6 Felipe Caicedo 22 68 0.32 2005–2017
7 Édison Méndez 18 112 0.16 2000–2014
8 Raúl Avilés 16 55 0.29 1987–1993
Iván Kaviedes 16 57 0.28 1996–2012
10 Ariel Graziani 15 34 0.44 1997–2000

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Did not enter Declined invitation
1934 Did not enter
1938
1950 Withdrew Withdrew
1954 Did not enter Did not enter
1958
1962 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 3 11
1966 5 2 1 2 7 7
1970 4 0 1 3 2 8
1974 4 0 2 2 3 8
1978 4 0 1 3 1 9
1982 4 1 1 2 2 5
1986 4 0 1 3 4 11
1990 4 1 1 2 4 5
1994 8 1 3 4 7 7
1998 16 6 3 7 22 21
2002 Group stage 24th 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad 18 9 4 5 23 20
2006 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 5 4 Squad 18 8 4 6 23 19
2010 Did not qualify 18 6 5 7 22 26
2014 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 3 3 Squad 16 7 4 5 20 16
2018 Did not qualify 18 6 2 10 26 29
2022 Group stage 18th 3 1 1 1 4 3 Squad 18 7 5 6 27 19
2026 Qualified 18 8 8 2 14 5
2030 To be determined To be determined
2034
Total Round of 16 5/23 13 5 2 6 14 14 179 62 46 71 210 226

Copa América

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad
1916 No national representative
1917
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925 Not a CONMEBOL member
1926
1927 Did not participate
1929
1935
1937
1939 Fifth place 5th 4 0 0 4 4 18 Squad
1941 5th 4 0 0 4 1 21 Squad
1942 Seventh place 7th 6 0 0 6 4 31 Squad
1945 7th 6 0 1 5 9 27 Squad
1946 Withdrew
1947 Sixth place 6th 7 0 3 4 3 17 Squad
1949 Seventh place 7th 7 1 0 6 7 21 Squad
1953 7th 6 0 2 4 1 13 Squad
1955 Sixth place 6th 5 0 0 5 4 22 Squad
1956 Withdrew
1957 Seventh place 7th 6 0 1 5 7 23 Squad
1959 Withdrew
1959 Fourth place 4th 4 1 1 2 5 9 Squad
1963 Sixth place 6th 6 1 2 3 14 18 Squad
1967 Did not qualify
1975 Group stage 9th 4 0 1 3 4 10 Squad
1979 9th 4 1 0 3 4 7 Squad
1983 9th 4 0 2 2 4 10 Squad
1987 8th 2 0 1 1 1 4 Squad
1989 7th 4 1 2 1 2 2 Squad
1991 7th 4 1 1 2 6 5 Squad
1993 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 13 5 Squad
1995 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 2 3 Squad
1997 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 2 0 5 2 Squad
1999 Group stage 11th 3 0 0 3 3 7 Squad
2001 9th 3 1 0 2 5 5 Squad
2004 12th 3 0 0 3 3 10 Squad
2007 11th 3 0 0 3 3 6 Squad
2011 10th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad
2015 10th 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad
2016 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 2 1 7 4 Squad
2019 Group stage 11th 3 0 1 2 2 7 Squad
2021 Quarter-finals 8th 5 0 3 2 5 9 Squad
2024 8th 4 1 2 1 5 4 Squad
Total Fourth place 30/38 130 17 28 85 139 331

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1951 Did not participate
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 6 10
Since 1999 See Ecuador national under-23 football team
Total Group stage 1/12 3 1 0 2 6 10

Head-to-head record

Below is a result summary of all matches Ecuador have played against FIFA recognized teams.

As of 18 November 2025

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Honours

Regional

  • Bolivarian Games
    • Gold medal (1): 1965
    • Bronze medal (1): 1938

Friendly

  • Korea Cup (1): 1995
  • Canada Cup (1): 1999

See also

  • Ecuador national under-23 football team
  • Ecuador national under-20 football team
  • Ecuador national under-17 football team
  • Ecuador national futsal team

Trophies

Ecuador has won the Panamerican Games 2006/2007 Trophy, Ecuador also won the 1999 Canada Cup Trophy, 1995 Korea Cup Trophy and Finally Ecuador achieved 1st place Gold Medal at the 1965 Bolivarian Games.

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